


This Will Be the Day

by I_Am_Bella_Donna



Series: We the Broken [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Volume 1, We the Broken AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2020-11-29 02:10:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20954897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Am_Bella_Donna/pseuds/I_Am_Bella_Donna
Summary: This will be the day we've waited for.This will be the day we open up the door.Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of its characters.





	1. Red Like Roses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red like roses fills my dreams and brings me to the place you rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Theme Song: Red Like Roses by Jeff Williams

The girl in red knelt on the damp grass.

_ Thus kindly I scatter. _

The words were sharp and unforgiving; forever etched into the surface of the cold, damp stone before her. 

_ Beloved teammate, wife, mother. _

A familiar insignia was carved at the top, its grooves and indentions damp with water from the muggy air and perpetual drizzle.

_ Here lies Summer Rose. _

This had always been their favorite spot—the steep precipice overlooking the ocean; the familiar skyline of Vale just visible in the distance. 

_ “Mommy, do you believe in magic?” _

The distant memory replayed itself in her mind, its edges fuzzy. The only clear image was that short reddish-black hair and those shining silver eyes. 

_ “Of course, darling!” _ she had replied, her laugh like bells. _ “Magic is all around us.” _ The other woman had taken her hand, led her over to the edge—the very spot she was sitting now—and pointed skyward, eyes twinkling. _ “The shattered moon may be broken, but it will not let anything destroy the pieces that remain. That determination is a sign of the magic inside of it. Let it remind you. _

_ “Never lose hope, darling.” _

The girl blinked the memory away and lifted her gaze, peering at the sky from beneath her red hood. A gentle, bluish light washed over the grass and dirt, illuminating the scene, and the corners of the girl’s mouth quirked upwards. All these years later, the shattered moon was still shining. Still an unrelenting light in the suffocating darkness. The way it stood out against the pitch of the sky…it was almost surreal.

She rose. It was time for her to leave. Pulling the edges of her cloak tightly over her shoulders, she began to brave her way back through the misty forest.

_ Drip, drip, drip. _

Lonely drops of water trickled down the leaves, splattering onto the mossy ground. Heavy white fog began to obscure the moon as she wove deeper into the trees, and a strong breeze started to gently shake the branches. Her long red cloak flapped behind her, its frayed edges damp from trailing along the forest floor. The only sound was that of her soft footsteps.

The girl abruptly froze in her tracks, almost as though she could sense the shadows darting between the surrounding trees, concealed by the mist.

Suddenly, a pack of dark, wolf-like creatures burst forth from their hiding places, sharp teeth bared and ready to strike. They growled as they bounded toward the girl’s unmoving figure. However, she stood her ground unflinchingly as they came closer, snapping their jaws. It wasn’t until teeth nearly met flesh that a flurry of crimson rose petals appeared, stark against the earthen tones of the forest. 

A flash of red, a trail of petals, and the girl was suddenly in midair, her hood blowing away from her face. With a backflip, she landed in a crouch just outside the circle of monsters, one hand reaching into the back of her cloak and pulling out a red and black metal contraption. The grinding of machinery echoed through the mist it expanded, and a single second later, she was tightly gripping the shaft of what appeared to be an eight-foot tall scythe.

The dark creatures spun around to face her, snarling. The largest one raised its head and howled at the faint outline of the shattered moon. Meanwhile, the young girl looked calmly from creature to creature, spearing the tip of the curved blade in the soft ground and aiming the head of the scythe at the alpha. She grabbed a small lever on the right side of the shaft and yanked it back as a sharp blast of energy burst through the muzzle at the tip of the shaft. The dark creature flew back with a whimper, black mist rising from the wound.

The corners of the girl’s mouth curved upward. 

She took no longer than a brief pause to admire her handiwork before giving her attention back to the rest of the pack. Calmly, she lifted her scythe, its curved blade glinting threateningly in the foggy air as the three nearest creatures rushed toward her. The girl swept the blade in a wide arc, severing the first shadowy head from its body. The two pieces of monster fell to the earth, black mist rising from them and mixing with that of the first. Meanwhile, the girl flipped backward and aimed the head of the scythe—which was apparently also a sniper rifle—at each of the other two creatures in turn. Setting the trigger lever back into place, she yanked it forcefully twice more. A loud noise reverberated through the forest as both of the creatures were shot, stopped in their tracks.

Suddenly, a growl sounded from behind her. Spinning around, the girl barely noticed the claw swiping at her in time to leap out of the way with a twirl. Her momentum carried the blade of her scythe and cut it cleanly through the creature’s body. Another monster lunged at her while she was occupied, but she flipped over it and fired a shot, the force of the close proximity causing the shadowy creature to begin dissipating almost immediately.

The girl landed swiftly on her feet and turned her attention toward the other dark creatures as a second sharp howl pierced the air. As if on cue, several more wolves of shadow burst out of the trees.

The girl narrowed her eyes.

Reaching under her belt, she pulled out what appeared to be a flat, purple metal box. Removing a nearly identical—albeit red—box from a slot under the trigger lever and tossing it aside, she placed the new one against the shaft and slid it into place with a snap.

The creatures didn’t stand a chance.

The girl crouched down, holding the scythe carefully, and pushed herself off the forest floor, taking a shot at the ground and rising above the chaos as a result. She spun in midair and lunged at the nearest of the monsters, moving faster than before, red roses petals flying from her figure. She sliced through the first creature before it even noticed she was there; then she proceeded to behead a second. As a third lunged at her, she speared it on the tip of the scythe and slammed it into a fourth one, knocking them both into the nearest tree before firing at them. 

She then threw herself between two more shadow monsters, slashing the curved blade of the scythe left and right. The girl could feel herself growing lighter; could feel the roses petals coming off her more rapidly as her speed increased. 

She leapt at the rest of the creatures, aiming the head of the scythe behind her and shooting back, causing her to fly forward. As the world blurred on either side of her, suddenly, she felt herself burst completely into a stream of petals, briefly returning to her corporeal form for split seconds as she neared each creature and sliced them in two. 

However, three of the largest of the creatures jumped at her from behind, nearly matching her speed. Spinning around at the sound of a snarl, the girl turned just in time to see the shadowy tones of the monsters. They were nearly on top of her when she raised her weapon and shot at them, sending them flying back, but given their size, it was doing little to deter them. She aimed and fired repeatedly in an attempt to weaken them as she spiraled toward them…

…and in a burst of red, she suddenly appeared behind the creatures. They barely caught a glint of the red-and-black metal before the scythe’s blade cut through the physical darkness.

As a final howl of agony rang through the trees, the forest fell silent once more. The girl landed gracefully on her feet and collapsed her scythe, eyeing the destruction as she slid it back under her cloak.

The dark, motionless remnants of the shadow monsters lay scattered on the damp forest floor, heavy black mist rising from them and mixing with the white fog of the air as the corpses dissolved into nothingness. Both the snow-colored and onyx-tinted mists were offset by the thousands of red rose petals that were now fluttering softly toward the earth. 

_ “That determination is a sign of the magic inside of it.” _

The girl turned around and pulled her hood back over her head, pausing briefly to take one last look over her shoulder. To memorize what she had just done.

Then, she resumed walking as though nothing had happened, a sole thought repeating like a mantra in her head.

_ Red like roses fills my dreams and brings me to the place you rest…._


	2. Mirror Mirror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> White is cold and always yearning, burdened by a royal test.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Theme Song: Mirror Mirror by Jeff Williams

The girl in white stood alone.

She glanced around the spacious room—her gilded cage—and sighed internally at the cold and barren atmosphere. No furniture. No decor. Just the uniform, silver tiles neatly lining the floor, the massive sets of double doors at both ends, and the large two-way mirror that spanned nearly an entire wall. There were no signs of life besides her and her reflection.

The girl lifted her head and peered through the clear glass ceiling. Gazed at the shattered moon and faint stars, and scoffed. _ The middle of summer, and everything I see is still as empty and cold as it was during midwinter,_ she thought, her hand tightening around the icy metal hilt of her rapier. She could feel her chest rising and falling rapidly with each pound of her heart as loneliness froze the blood in her veins—could feel her cold fingers moving to trace the ugly, jagged scar on the left side of her face. None were pleasant feelings. 

But they were the only feelings she had. And they were some of the few things that were entirely her own; untouchable by him. 

_ Everyone is entitled to their own sorrow, for the heart has no metrics or forms of measure. _

Almost everything he had given her was just another tool for him to control her with. Merely a sweep around the barren training room was enough for her to be reminded of his influence:

No decor, no noise, no emotion, is what he had said.

No foolishness, no distractions, no weakness, is what he had meant.

_ And all of it…irreplaceable. _

When the girl was young, she had wanted nothing more than to win his approval. She had been willing to give anything she could to please him—even her own heart. Even her own free will. It wasn’t until now, years later, that it hit her:

She had reduced himself to nothing more than a part of him. An asset.

But after allowing him to take everything away from her, she knew that winning back her freedom would be far harder than the realization had been. However, it wouldn’t stop her from trying. From speaking up for the first time.

Suddenly, she was snapped out of her thoughts as the massive double doors flew open with a crash. In the entryway loomed a two-story tall armored knight. The girl narrowed her eyes and peered at the immense broadsword it was holding, her knuckles turning white as her fingers tightened around her sword’s handle. 

A split-second later, the knight hefted its own sword into its hands and swung toward her. The girl’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second before she bent over backward, the sword cutting through the air where her torso had been. Kicking her legs off the ground and pushing off with her wrists, the girl managed to spring upright just as the sword speared the ground next to her.

Leaping back, the girl pointed her sword in front of her, blade forward. A glowing white circle with an intricate snowflake in the center appeared below her feet, and she was suddenly thrown toward the knight. Her sword collided with the flat side of the knight’s own and she was forcefully slammed into the air.

As she flew upward, spinning, another glowing symbol appeared, this one above the soles of her white heeled boots. She kicked off against it, flipping in midair and landing on her feet across from the knight. It raised its sword in her direction again, but she managed to lunge out of the way as it was brought down with a violent slash. 

The girl ran behind the knight and leapt into the air, another glowing symbol appearing beneath her feet and pushing her to the eye level of the knight. She lifted her rapier and attempted to spear the back of the knight’s helmet a couple of times. Unfortunately, her relatively small sword did little more than catch its attention. As the knight turned around, it was all she could do to shield her face with her sword in time to intercept the blade of its broadsword.

Flying back, the wind knocked out of her, the girl sprung from her hands to her heels a few times, mindful of the rapier’s hilt pressing into her palm. She landed disoriented and panting, unable to catch her breath, but on her feet.

_ I will not succumb. Not this time. _

Movement above her caught her eye. She lifted her head just in time to see that the knight had leapt into the air and was now falling toward her, broadsword raised and ready. The girl managed to dodge the first strike, but she was defenseless against the second. She was knocked back once more, the back of her head hitting the wall with a crack. 

The knight walked toward her slowly, each massive footstep the length of her entire body. The girl grit her teeth and forced herself to her feet. Bracing her right hand against the wall, she lifted her sword inches from the end of her nose. Her heart pounding in her chest, she risked shutting her eyes as a glowing snowflake symbol appeared beneath her feet. The snowflake was rotating slightly, and her eyes flew open as it completed one full turn around the circle. 

The little energy she had left was used to throw herself toward the knight. However, it wasn’t enough.

The girl felt the sword smack into the side of her head for the third time as her body slammed into the floor. Her vision clouded with dark spots as she lay unmoving on the floor for a few seconds, allowing herself to truly feel the brunt of the pain.

_ Foolish. Distracted. Weak. _

The growing reverberations of the floor indicated that the knight was walking toward her to finish the job. 

_ Weak. _

No. She would not lay here. She would not give up.

The girl opened her eyes.

_ I—am—not—weak! _

Reaching out a shaky hand, the girl slowly reached out and curled her fingers around the cold hilt of her rapier, drawing it toward her. She pushed the tip against the tile, using it to support herself. 

And she rose.

The girl wrapped her right hand around her left and squeezed the handle even tighter. The revolving chamber just above the rapier’s hilt whirled and hissed as the tip of her sword began to glow violet. The knight stopped mere feet away from her and brought the sword down hard, but this time, she was prepared for it. She raised her own rapier and slammed the blade upward, into the knight’s. The broadsword met the rapier and flew back. It would have been thrown through the still-open double doors had the knight not been holding it.

As the knight planted its feet to prevent itself from falling over from the momentum, the girl squeezed her rapier's handle once more. The chamber above the hilt spun and clicked into place once more, the blade glowing an icy blue color this time. As her opponent regained its balance, she smashed the tip of the blade against the tile, and a trail of tall ice crystals burst up from the floor, rushing from where she stood to the opposite wall, freezing the knight’s feet in place.

The girl ran toward her now-stuck opponent. This time, as it raised its sword, she leapt onto the flat side, her sword beginning to glow violet again. She tucked her head down and rolled head over heels off the blade. As she popped out of her crouch, she jumped and stabbed the knight’s hand, a glowing, violet snowflake symbol appearing upon impact. This time, the knight was unable to keep its grip on the broadsword as it flew out of its grasp, slamming against the far corner with a clatter.

The girl jumped off the blade and another intricate pale purple snowflake symbol appeared beneath the knight, sending it flying into the air. Four more symbols, these white-colored and far smaller, spun around the wrists and ankles of the knight, suspending it in midair by its limbs.

A final, violet snowflake symbol appeared beneath the girl’s feet and threw her up, nearly high enough to touch the ceiling. Blue eyes narrowing, she held her sword out in front of her as she fell towards the knight. 

Her vision narrowed, focusing solely on the object before her. For a split second, the world froze, suspended in silence.

And a moment later, the only sound was that of metal on metal as the rapier cut clean through the knight’s head.

With a click of her heels against the hard tile floor, the girl landed in a crouch and immediately rose to her full height as the now-inanimate armor fell behind her with a clatter. The room's other door, opposite the one the knight had entered through, opened, and the sound of slow footsteps filled the room.

“Well, my child, it appears you have proven yourself.”

She bit her tongue as _ he _ stepped into the room. Her back was to him, but she could practically feel his icy blue eyes burning with with discontempt and scorn. Could practically sense his sneer. 

“Yes, I believe I did,” she shot back, turning around with a glare. “And now I expect you to uphold your end of our agreement.”

He scowled at her. “Very well, my child. I will grant you your…_delusion_. But be warned: this will change absolutely _ nothing _ between us.”

“Of course,” she said softly as he spun around and left, slamming the double doors behind him.

_ No. You’re wrong,_ she is what she meant, the unspoken words echoing through the empty room. _ This changes _ everything_._

* * *

An hour later, the girl’s heels clicked as she stepped across the tiled hallway, her previous outfit exchanged for a floor-length ball gown. Even after her trial, she would still have to wait for her reward. And until then, she would still have to play the part of the reverent underling; of the obedient subordinate. 

But this time, her mind would be free of his control. 

_ “Two minutes until curtain!” _ she heard someone tell her. The girl grit her teeth and glanced at her reflection in the small mirror on the wall.

The only person who was always by her side. The only person who would never leave her alone.

Was it wrong that it wasn’t enough? 

Was it wrong that she wanted more?

_ “It’s time!” _ she heard someone hiss from behind her, but the voice barely registered as she stepped onto the stage. A moment later, the curtain began to rise.

The theater was spacious and dark—the only source of light was coming from the glass ceiling. From the faint blue glow of the shattered moon, she could slightly make out the outline of the people in the audience. So close, but so far away.

The notes of the soft piano echoed through the large room and caught her attention, drawing her back to the here and now. It was time. The girl drew a soft breath into her lungs as she heard her cue. Then, she opened her mouth and began to sing. To say the words she had suppressed for years…for him.

Not anymore.

  
_ “Mirror, tell me something_—_tell me who's the loneliest of all…” _


	3. From Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Black the beast descends from shadows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Theme Song: From Shadows by Jeff Williams

The girl in black was hiding in the shadows of the forest.

She was seated behind a tree, perched just behind the border of darkness. Only a few feet from its edge was a clearing, large enough for unobscured moonlight to wash over the blood-red grasses of the forest floor. Crimson leaves were fluttering from the sky like rain, courtesy of the strong breeze.

The perpetually autumn setting was certainly beautiful, but that didn’t mean anything to the girl. Not anymore.

The forest was beautiful.

But beautiful could also be deadly.

Red—crimson, vermillion, rust—yes, it was the color of the forest. The color of autumn.

But it was also the color of blood. It was _ his _ color.

Images filled the girl’s mind. Images of pain, of hope. Images of someone who fought for justice and who protected with passion. Images of someone who had disappeared as his body sank deeper into a pool of spite—

_ No. It isn’t fair for me to be thinking about him like that. _

Today would be the final test. If she was wrong, then she would never have to worry about any of it again. She could finally relax. And if she was right—

She really hoped she wouldn’t be right.

The girl slipped a hand into the pocket of her black pants, feeling the cold, shatter-proof glass vial—and the small object next to it. They were both still there.

If she was right, she would have two options.

Suddenly, the girl inhaled sharply. It took all of her self-control to not flinch as soft footsteps crunched the leaves behind her. Her heart began to pound as the footsteps grew closer, but she pretended to be nonchalant.

_ I shouldn’t be thinking about him like that. _

“It’s time.”

At the sound of the familiar male voice, her entire body exploded into pain. Her arms burned, her legs twisted, and her skin ripped open—but she bit her tongue hard and turned to face the masked young man with bull horns standing behind her, ignoring how the edges of her vision were blurring bright red. The taste of coppery metal filled her mouth.

_ No. I don’t care. _

“Okay,” she said quietly, mentally repeating her mantra until her body went numb.

The man extended a hand and pulled her gently to her feet, reaching out to brush away the hair flying around her face. As if on cue, a piercing blare cut through the silence, snatching their attention as a tingling sensation ran over the girl’s skin. The duo looked at one another. 

“All right, then,” the man said with a grin so wicked, the girl’s stomach dropped to her feet. _ “Let’s do this.” _

The girl swallowed. “Okay.” 

One last chance. She would give him one last chance. That was it.

_ Your hopes have become my burden. _

The pair took off through the forest, running in the direction of the noise. The man lead the way, dodging through trees, over rocks, and under branches, and the girl obediently followed his every move, careful to stay behind him. She stepped where he stepped and paused where he paused. A loyal soldier. 

After all, he had given her everything. Why wouldn’t she be?

After a minute, the two burst out of the trees and stopped on a cliffside. The man beckoned the girl to peer over the edge. He pointed at the set of train tracks winding through the valley below as a low rumble filled the air, the head of a train appearing at one end of the tracks. The girl swallowed, knowing what was coming next. 

_ I will find my own liberation. _

The man ran a hand through his hair. “It’s time to take down this train,” he laughed deviously. 

The girl hesitated, doing her best to disregard the red in the corners of her vision growing brighter. “We…” she began slowly, only to cut herself off. 

_ What kind of person am I? He always trusted me before, and in return, I’m _ doubting _ him? How cruel can a person be? _

The man looked at her, waiting patiently. “Yes?” he asked, his voice encouraging, silently urging her to continue. The red was still growing.

The girl swallowed. _ No going back now._ “This mission is only…theft, right? We aren’t actually going to hurt anyone?” 

The man blinked. “The purpose of this mission is to help our brethren,” he told her. “By any means necessary.”

The girl nodded. “Of course,” she murmured. 

_ I don’t care. _

He grinned in response. “In that case, let’s do this.”

And with that, he jumped off the cliff.

The girl took a deep breath and jumped after him. Dirt flew up from her heels as she slid down the slope, falling toward the moving train. At the last possible second, the man jumped onto the roof of the final car, and she followed immediately. “Move up one!” he yelled at her, his voice barely audible over the roaring wind.

The girl nodded, her black hair whipping around her face. They leapt forward, and the man opened a hatch on the roof. The two jumped inside, immediately swallowed by darkness as the hatch slammed shut above them.

The girl blinked and pressed her back to the man’s, her eyes almost instantly adjusting to the lack of light…

…just in time to notice that they were surrounded.

“Well,” she heard him say. “It looks like we’re gonna have to do this the hard way.”

She couldn’t help it—his words brought an involuntary smile to her lips. “Don’t be so dramatic,” she murmured as they stepped apart. She slowly pulled a long, narrow sword from the sheath on her back, scanning her surroundings.

The sound of whirring machinery suddenly echoed in the corner of the train car, snatching their attention. A large robot lit up as the guns on its wrists spun and clicked into place. _“Intruders,”_ came a monotone voice. _“Identify yourselves.”_

The man grinned and lifted his sheath, the hilt of his sword aimed at the robot, and pulled the trigger on the bottom side. The sword launched out and the hilt slammed into the robot, pushing it back and occupying it just long enough for the man to grab the sword and bring it down hard, slicing the robot in two.

As the pieces fell back with a thud, the other figures—only androids, the girl noticed with relief—spun to life and lunged at the duo. The girl remained still until they were nearly on top of her, and then she proceeded to leap backward between them. She slashed her sword in a wide arc, allowing her to dismantle several androids at once, the sound of metal on metal from the other side of the train car indicating that the man was doing the same.

The girl ran toward him, dismantling any androids that got in her way with singular, powerful blows, and spun around so that her back and the man’s were facing one another. The duo danced around in a deadly waltz, years of practice evident in their moves as robotic parts fell left and right. 

Suddenly, a loud click sounded from the front of the car. Less than a second later, a red blur flew past the girl as the man ran up, raising his sword just in time to block the barrage of bullets shot from what appeared to be a newly activated security robot, identical to the original. Probably its backup, the girl reasoned.

The man turned around as he spun his sword before him, giving her a small nod. She nodded back in understanding and dispatched the last android before sinking to a crouch and pushing herself off the ground. Rushing toward the robot rapidly, the girl’s left hand reached behind her and yanked her sheath from her back, raising it like a second blade. It even had a sharp edge.

With a yell, she spun and leaped toward the robot, pushing herself off the ground with a final, powerful kick, and slashed both blades violently. She moved so fast, it was unable to land a hit—she was little more than a black blur.

The man smiled as the girl took the robot down in mere moments, the metal pieces clattering loudly against the floor. “Well done,” he praised her with a nod. The girl nodded, casting her gaze to her feet.

_ No. Don’t praise me. _ “Thank you.” _ Don’t make this harder than it has to be. _She didn’t notice the man walking away until she heard the car door open, at which point she realized he was moving up. She hurried after him, her heart heavy.

The next two cars, both flat cars, had no passengers or robots, thankfully. But when they entered the third car—the last car before the crew members and the engine—her face fell upon seeing the large stacks of boxes lined neatly against the wall. Snowflake emblems decorated the sides, and the man chuckled wickedly. “This is gonna be _ good_,” he laughed.

The girl nodded blankly, her gaze flicking over to one of the crates as the man opened it. Her eyes widened at its contents as an involuntary gasp escaped her lips. There was…so…much…. 

The man was still smiling as he turned his back on the girl. “Okay,” he began. “I’ll set the charges.” 

The girl shuddered violently as her arms began to tingle and become colder, the dulled pain from earlier growing numb and her vision blurring. “I…” Her words got caught in her throat, thick and painful. She hesitantly looked at the man. “What about—what about the crew members?”

The man’s expression shifted to an unpleasant frown. “What _ about _ them?” 

The girl’s heart pounded, blood roaring in her ears as her vision tinted red. Bad, bad, _ bad_…this meant—

A loud crashing sound interrupted the moment, drawing loud gasps from both of them as a large, eight-legged robot fell down from the shadow-covered ceiling and hit the ground with a loud clang. The man ripped his sword from its sheath and ran toward it, blocking every shot thrown at him.

The girl sighed, ripping her own sword, sheath and all, from her back as she ran across the car, darting past him and dodging the shots. Gritting her teeth, she leapt into the air and ripped her sheath from her blade, both raised and aimed toward the robot. However, the robot raised one of its many legs and kicked her carelessly, throwing her painfully on the floor like a discarded piece of junk. She hissed in pain, struggling to climb onto all fours as she watched the robot waddle over to her. _ No, no, no— _

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a red and black blur flew past her, and a moment later, she heard the familiar sound of metal on metal. The girl blinked to clear her vision, and she was surprised to see the man, sword raised, throwing the robot back with blow after blow. Once he managed to clear enough ground, he sheathed his sword and ran back to the girl, lifting her into his arms and carrying her to the opposite side of the car. He set her gently on her feet.

The girl swallowed. “We need to get out of here!” she insisted, her voice raised slightly as to be heard above the sound of the robot’s steps. The man shook his head and opened his mouth to reply as the robot lifted its two front legs. The tips of the legs folded upward as copious amounts of white energy began to gather in front of them. The girl’s eyes widened and she opened her mouth to shout in warning—

—but before she could, the robot sent the energy blasting at the two.

The man jumped in front of the girl and lifted his sword just in time; the blade took to brunt of the strike. However, it was still large enough as to blast a hole in the back of the car and send the duo flying onto the flat car. The girl planted her sword into the floor to prevent the wind from blowing her into oblivion; a glance to her side told her that the man had done the same. She rose to her feet, thankful for the artificial sense of gravity coming from the car.

“We _ really _ need to get out of here!” she shouted, her voice barely audible over the wind. The robot was crawling onto the flat car. “This isn’t worth it!”

The man growled faintly next to her. “We’re _not_ leaving! Buy me some time!” he yelled back, jerking his head in the direction of the robot.

The girl winced. “Are…you sure?” she asked hesitantly, voice growing quieter. 

“Do! It! _ Now_!”

The girl nodded quickly, pulling her sheath off her back and running at the robot, dodging each shot in her direction. Just before she could collide with it, she thrust her sword into the robot’s hard surface, kicking herself off the ground and flying into the air. She probably would’ve flown off the train entirely had she not been holding onto the end of the long ribbon that was tied to the sword’s hilt, allowing her to remain within the train’s gravity. She yanked her sword out and let herself fall in front of the unsuspecting robot before lunging to the side and slashing wildly, climbing it as she went.

_ Don’t destroy. Only distract. Only weaken. _

The sound of metal on metal rang through the air, and the girl easily ignored the familiar dull gray spots popping up in the corners of her vision. However, when she heard the man calling to her, she leapt off the robot, performing a series of handsprings to regain control of her momentum as she flew backward and came to a stop beside him. 

“I did all I could!” she announced, receiving a nod in return as the man sheathed his glowing sword.

“Good! Now move!” he shouted back.

At the sound of his voice, crimson exploded in her vision once more, but she bit her tongue and leapt onto the flat car behind her. 

With a roar, the man yanked his sword out and sent a red blast at the robot, breaking it down completely. No, not breaking it down—_completely destroying it_. Every piece was sent flying in the wind, left behind for the forest. 

It was the most powerful blast she’d ever seen him make.

The girl shivered as the shockwave of red before her faded, but the crimson continued to dance in the edges of her vision. She could feel her skin twisting, burning, and ripping as the man’s laugh reached her ears. As her mind replayed his previous words.

_ “What _ about _ them?” _

She had been right. That meant she couldn’t stay.

This was it.

The girl’s breath hitched, and she swallowed hard as she felt an invisible knife piercing her chest and guilt flooding her veins. In the span of a few seconds, her entire body exploded into agony, trailing along the leftover lines on her skin. She couldn’t do this—but she _ had _ to do this—but she _ couldn’t _ do it—but she _ had _ to—

No. She couldn’t live like this anymore. Her choice was selfish and cowardly, just like she knew herself to be. After all, she wasn’t blind to the person she saw in the mirror. But still, this decision—she was too just stupid to think of a better option.

Technically, she had another possibility, should she choose it. But even _ she _ wasn’t that selfish. Not yet, anyway.

The girl froze as the man turned around. She could practically sense his surprise when he saw that she was _ not _ directly behind him, as he’d thought, but was in fact on the separate train car, a narrow cable between them.

A very narrow, very _ weak _ cable.

The girl swallowed, her heart suddenly pounding so fast, she began to feel lightheaded. 

“Goodbye.” 

Her voice was weak, her throat tight—and yet, as her single spoken word hung in the air, she watched the red around her vision recoil. She felt a pang of shame. _ Disgusting, dumb girl, _ she scolded herself—but the voice in her head wasn’t her own. The red grew back at this, clouding her sight. It was as though she was looking through a lens the same color as the forest around her.

The girl pulled her sword from its sheath, angling it carefully—

—and slashing the cable between them. “I’m sorry.” 

_ I lo— _

The man reached out a hand. _ “Wait!” _ she heard him yell, but it was too late. He was rushing away from her, and she was slowing to a stop, the shades of crimson slowly clearing from her vision as the man became a dot on the horizon. 

_ Stupid, selfish bitch. _ And yet, she was unable to stop her treacherous mind from clearing. From reciting the promise she hadn’t heard in so many years.

  
_ From shadows, we’ll descend upon the world—take back what you stole_….


End file.
